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The New History of Orkney
For much of its history, Orkney had its own language, culture and institutions. The prehistoric inhabitants created monuments which are unmatched anywhere in Europe, and the medieval period saw the magnificent earldom that expressed itself through the Orkneyinga Saga and the building of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Like Shetland, Orkney was heavily influenced by Viking traders and raiders from Scandinavia, and for a long period it formed an outlying part of the kingdom of Norway. Over 500 years ago, however, the islands lost their Scandinavian links and since then have had a sometimes difficult association with mainland Scotland. More recent times have seen the use of Orkney as a strategic stronghold during two world wars, and the far-reaching impact of oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea. This classic book covers the whole fascinating story and will be of interest to readers far beyond the rocky shores of Orkney itself.
544 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2008
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About the author
William P.L. Thomson
7 books3 followersWilliam P.L.Thomson born in 1933 was Rector of Kirkwall Grammar School from 1971 to 1991. Previously he was Principal Teacher of History and Geography in the Anderson High School, Shetland. He is the author of many books about Orkney.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 16, 2019
An excellent and incredibly well researched survey of Orcadian history, stretching from its first known inhabitants to the present day. The islands' political structures, economy and society are described in detail in a way that never feels parochial, weaving Orkney's history into wider approaches towards Norse, Scottish and European history. This book is an enormous accomplishment and makes essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Orkney's past and present.
My only issue with the book is that, in some ways, it feels like two separate studies combined together, diverging approximately after the fall of the Stewart Earls. Until the 17th century, after a brief analysis of Orkney's Pictish population, the book devotes significant attention to tales from the sagas - most notably the Orkneyinga saga - and the continuing balance of power in subsequent centuries. These are handled well and with appropriate scepticism towards the source material - indeed, some of the book's strongest analysis comes through here. Yet, such a heavily narrative-focused and political study transitions quite awkwardly to the more economic and sociological focus of the final third of the book. I appreciate this stems from the limited availability of source material in the earlier periods, forcing the author to rely more heavily on narrative, high-politics accounts, but the transition continues to jar, perhaps due to the greatly limited focus on Orcadian politics after the 17th century beyond brief references to parliamentary representation and local government. Consequently, the post-17th century third of the book feels underdeveloped compared to what came before.
Nevertheless, this is a minor problem that does not detract from the wider strengths of the book, and I would highly recommend it.
My only issue with the book is that, in some ways, it feels like two separate studies combined together, diverging approximately after the fall of the Stewart Earls. Until the 17th century, after a brief analysis of Orkney's Pictish population, the book devotes significant attention to tales from the sagas - most notably the Orkneyinga saga - and the continuing balance of power in subsequent centuries. These are handled well and with appropriate scepticism towards the source material - indeed, some of the book's strongest analysis comes through here. Yet, such a heavily narrative-focused and political study transitions quite awkwardly to the more economic and sociological focus of the final third of the book. I appreciate this stems from the limited availability of source material in the earlier periods, forcing the author to rely more heavily on narrative, high-politics accounts, but the transition continues to jar, perhaps due to the greatly limited focus on Orcadian politics after the 17th century beyond brief references to parliamentary representation and local government. Consequently, the post-17th century third of the book feels underdeveloped compared to what came before.
Nevertheless, this is a minor problem that does not detract from the wider strengths of the book, and I would highly recommend it.
September 26, 2020
Today, Orkney is an out-of-the-way place, an awkward set of islands off an unfashionable coastline of a bully-like larger island. In addition to reading about its inhabitants over the years, I had planned to be walking amongst them and their ruins this year. But times change. At the turn of the previous millennium, Orkney was a popular provisioning stop along the Viking sea-lane from Norway to mainland Scotland, the Outer Hebrides, the Inner Hebrides, Ireland, Isle of Man, and England. The place was so strategic that the islands' Earl had to be acceptable to both the Kings the Norway and Scotland. They had difficulty agreeing and often punted by choosing a set of brothers or cousins to share the title and continue their bickering by proxy. This arrangement ended when the cash-poor King of Denmark (which had absorbed Norway) pawned these remote islands to the King of Scotland. The bickering continued as the new lords tried to overlay Scottish jurisprudence over the existing non-feudal landowners and their traditional Norwegian institutions. The author discusses both the Earls' political issues as well as inhabitant's concerns about changes in land ownership, inheritance rights, tax collection, tenant rights, and industry.
January 4, 2020
An excellent overview of the history of the Orkney Islands. As I knew very little about the islands, I found this book fascinating.
It is a bit of a slog at times. The author is clearly versed in archaeology and history. He does a good job of sticking to a "general person with some interest" level of writing, but every now and then he wanders into detailed side tangents that are more esoteric and not as interesting. Overall, though, he does a great job of explaining how the Orkney Islands evolved and what shapes them in the modern era.
It is a bit of a slog at times. The author is clearly versed in archaeology and history. He does a good job of sticking to a "general person with some interest" level of writing, but every now and then he wanders into detailed side tangents that are more esoteric and not as interesting. Overall, though, he does a great job of explaining how the Orkney Islands evolved and what shapes them in the modern era.
May 27, 2024
A very detailed historical narrative is made more readable by the author’s evident writing talent. I found myself able to navigate this book with surprising ease and, dare I say, enjoyment. I realize there is much I missed, but I did take away a renewed interest in exploring again an island group that I have the privilege to visit twice.
One inconsequential comment: the high grade of the paper used to support quality of the maps and photos makes the actual book VERY heavy. Better read at home or study hall than carried in your rucksack.
One inconsequential comment: the high grade of the paper used to support quality of the maps and photos makes the actual book VERY heavy. Better read at home or study hall than carried in your rucksack.
July 9, 2017
This history is clearly written, and provides a lot of information. It is not told as an integrated or literary story, but rather provides more or less discrete historical facts in chronological order, with due consideration to causation, effects, and context.
October 25, 2022
An excellent overview of the history of Orkney, good research and details, well-written.
February 24, 2017
Thorough and careful in the way it uses its ancient and medieval sources. I always found Orkneyingasaga one of the more compelling of the North Atlantic sagas and this history provides useful context for the saga stories. The ancient and medieval content was of greatest interest to me, but the modern material is of high scholarly value (just of more limited interest for me).
April 10, 2013
It took me a while to get into this but I'm glad I persevered. I'm sure it will add greatly to my appreciation of the landscape and the way of life in these fascinating islands when I visit in a few weeks' time.
Thomson is more than ably qualified to write this extremely comprehensive history. One point that may appear obvious is that he doesn't begin with the famous pre-historic monuments; the book is exactly what is says on the cover. For those, you'll need to look elsewhere. He gets going with the Picts, and really hits his stride with the Vikings and the long, sometimes tortuous relationships between Orkney and the Scottish and Norwegian powers, which were finally resolved when the King of Norway pawned the islands in the 15C to finance his daughter's dowry!
In these earlier chapters I felt Thomson was assuming a certain amount of prior knowledge, and they were hard going. I expect I'll get more out of them if I return to them after my visit. But once we were out of the days of the Earls, the narrative picked up pace for me, and I found the story of agricultural improvement, industrialisation and the growth of owner-occupation of land and general prosperity surprisingly absorbing.
Thomson is more than ably qualified to write this extremely comprehensive history. One point that may appear obvious is that he doesn't begin with the famous pre-historic monuments; the book is exactly what is says on the cover. For those, you'll need to look elsewhere. He gets going with the Picts, and really hits his stride with the Vikings and the long, sometimes tortuous relationships between Orkney and the Scottish and Norwegian powers, which were finally resolved when the King of Norway pawned the islands in the 15C to finance his daughter's dowry!
In these earlier chapters I felt Thomson was assuming a certain amount of prior knowledge, and they were hard going. I expect I'll get more out of them if I return to them after my visit. But once we were out of the days of the Earls, the narrative picked up pace for me, and I found the story of agricultural improvement, industrialisation and the growth of owner-occupation of land and general prosperity surprisingly absorbing.
September 12, 2011
The best comprehensive history of the Orkney Isles I've yet encountered, with three editions which include numerous revisions and an author who is one of the most-respected writers on the Orkneys, it's the first book anyone seriously interested in the history of these great Scottish isles should read. I hope there's something just as good on the Shetlands, too.
January 2, 2016
Sure its dry as hell, but how many histories of Orkney that are this comprehensive are you ever going to get?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews